Redemption all-round here! Harry Hess takes greater control over the First Signal project, the fifth album for the name, just one of the many Frontiers ‘project bands’, and instant rewards are reaped.

The last album ‘Closer To The Edge’ was as bland as they come. No spark and no energy, so Harry tells me he took far more control over this album, co-writing the songs and choosing the heavier direction. Daniel Flores is out and a trio of Italians come in.

The new team behind the music have delivered an album to rival the energy of the first two records. One thing that they do deliver which really took me by surprise, is a killer drum sound – really punchy and a hard-hitting performance which matches the energy of the songs, in fact, this is one of the heavier albums I have heard Harry sing in his career.

I have no idea who produced the album, as the press release and bio only covers the band up until the last album. There’s no actual info about this album at all. But credit to whoever it is.

It’s obviously not Harem Scarem in style, but it does have the great vocals of Mr. Hess, really going for it at his outer limit for range and rasp, yet still plenty of hooks and harmonies for everyone.

A great melodic hard rock record I’m pleased to say. Night and day compared to the energy and quality of the last record.

Let’s go straight to the bottom line – I’m loving this record and I’m sure many others are going to feel the same. Its brash, diverse and challenging. But it’s not without flaws and the main one is the production (or mix) quality. It is an issue. For the most part I’ve adapted my ears to the choices the band has made here and for that reason I can enjoy the performances and the songs for what they are. Some however, may not be able to get around it, or over it or past it, and listening enjoyment may be impacted.

But the performances are blindingly good and the songs are quite superb.

For the record, the album was recorded remotely – with Arnel in the Philippines, Neal and Narada Michael Walden in San Francisco, Randy Jackson in Los Angeles and Jonathan Cain at home in his own studio. That kind of separation can impact the end result of an album, and it puts premium importance on the mixer. In this case the job was given to Bob Clearmountain – one of the very best mix engineers in the business. He has done an amazing job at piecing the album together. A lot of the sound of a record comes down to how it was recorded in the first place, and how the band want the record to sound.

The album has a raw sound, a somewhat muddy mix in places and some unusual vocal effects when it comes to Arnel’s leads. But you must accept everything for what it is and how it sounds. This is what the band want you to hear.

The album has been with me for a couple of months now and I know it inside and out. Its become one of my most played records of 2022, which has to mean something. I keep wanting to go back to it. And I’ve played it on several different mediums. It actually sounds best in my car. Generally speaking, records shouldn’t sound much different depending on how it is being listened to, but that’s another curiosity of ‘Freedom’ – the new first new Journey album in 11 years, adopting the moniker originally designated for the ‘Raised On Radio’ album, back when Herbie Herbert was in control.

Narada Michael Walden is insane on the drums. He is all over this record. Jonathan Cain delivers a lot of different keyboard and piano textures throughout and Arnel Pineda proves he is again the man – not only for the dead on Steve Perry-isms in certain songs, but also for sounding uniquely himself in other places. Randy Jackson’s bass parts all make their mark – this album has a serious groove to it. And what can be said about Neal Schon? I think he is again the star of the show here.

In fact, listening back to this album over the time I have had it, its like tuning into Neal Schon’s Greatest Hits – there’s parts of Journey, Bad English, Hardline and his solo work all throughout this album.

Journey’s history is well documented, so no there’s reason for any history lesson here. To briefly recap their time with vocalist Arnel Pineda, you have the very successful and commercial ‘Revelation’ record in 2008, followed by the decisively less commercial guitar driven ‘Eclipse’ in 2011, which some dismiss (at their own peril), for being too direct, or less focussed on melodies. I couldn’t disagree more. But now some 11 years on, its time again for AORs most loved band to give something new for fans to complain about, or at least debate endlessly for the next 11 years.

After being criticised (wrongly in my opinion) for being too focussed on guitar on the last album, Journey return with an album largely focussed…yes, on guitars. On several songs, the band, or Neal Schon at least, takes guitar dominance even further than on ‘Eclipse’, delivering some of the heaviest and grooviest Journey songs on record. On the surface that might seem like an odd decision, but those tracks are balanced out by some very traditional Journey style AOR melodies and a few outstanding ballads.

There are really strong comparisons to ‘Trial By Fire’ to be drawn here – the style and feel of the album matches their 1996 comeback album, while other parts touch on ‘Escape’, ‘Frontiers’, ‘Raised On Radio’ and even the early days of the band.

‘Freedom’ is one of the band’s most rhythmically complex record, with layers upon layers of drums, percussion and well, everything – I just wish it could all be heard clearly.

And for those that have been living off samples for the last month or so….don’t judge the record on those – I’ve listened to them to hear what parts of the songs they highlight and they are indeed not telling the full picture or the complexity of this record means the samples are doing just that – ‘sampling’ what’s on offer, but not painting the full picture by any means.

Track by Track:

Together We Run is one of my favourite Journey album opening tracks, just because it’s a little different. Opening with just a piano and vocal, it’s a baladesque intro, but you know its going to go somewhere. When the impact comes it drives the song into the first chorus and from there the song picks up pace. I love the vocal melody through the verse and the chorus is memorable, not only for the hook, but for the guitar and drum rhythms driving the song. There are some keyboard parts in there too, but they are buried in the mix for the most part.

I love the immediate appearance of the soulful harmony vocals, which is a real touch of ‘Raised On Radio’ and ‘Trial By Fire’. The whole album utilises these harmony vocals and is every bit better for it. They really add to the mood and ambience.

A different mix would have really given this song maximum impact, especially in the opening sequence when guitar and then drums first impact. As is the case with the whole album, the songs are fantastic, but the sonic impact could be greater.

Don’t Give Up On Us takes the Separate Ways keyboard and guitar intro parts to get it started before morphing into a free flowing, anthemic commercial rocker, mirroring the vibe of Trial By Fire’s Message Of Love. The second part of the song is a rapid-fire guitar solo and some intense drumming from the unheralded star of this album - Narada Michael Walden. The drum fills and associated percussion parts are mind blowing. Not for the first time on this album am I reminded of the Trial By Fire rocker One More. In traditional Journey style, Neal’s soloing is all over the latter parts of the song.

Still Believe In Love takes a rapid pace de-escalation in the same way ‘Trial By Fire’ did at track 3, delivering the first haunting ballad of the album. More a moody and soulful slow paced intimate musical piece than a traditional ballad, this is a beautiful vocal from Arnel alongside lush harmonies and some brilliant slow guitar work from Neal that reminds me of his ‘Late Nite’ solo album.

You Got The Best Of Me is a big sounding, fast moving Journey rock anthem, with a solid beat and a chunky riff. Keyboards line the track and funnel it towards a big chorus. The verse’s vocal melody is as effective as anything the chorus delivers, as the chorus itself almost sits on top of the track, losing potential impact with an irregular mix that just doesn’t match the rest of the song. To be frank, it is probably just the fact the chorus is so busy, so layered with instruments and vocals that it just doesn’t have room to breathe. The first time I heard it, my ears were immediately challenged. The vocals are lost and the drums sound hollow. But still, I love the track.

Live To Love Again is the big ballad of the album. The big heartfelt, lighters in the air (or cell-phones these days) moment. The tender ballad is something truly special. Keyboards and piano feature prominently, with an orchestral arrangement driving the song, with Arnel blowing the roof off with a soaring vocal, the chorus totally delivering on the sentimentality of the song. One of my favourite Arnel ballads from his time with the band, which gets bigger and bigger as it goes on.

The Way We Used To Be is a song we all know. The groovy mid-tempo rocker has a unique feel and a balanced injection of both guitar and keyboard. The song received mix reviews when it was released as a single early on, but it fits the scope of this album very well and in this almost mid-album position is a good transition song from the ballad before it, to the hard rocker that follows it.

Come Away With Me is an oddity. Played on its own it doesn’t strike me as a natural Journey song. It’s more comparable to the debut Hardline album. Guitar wise, Neal is just all over this song, as is the rhythm section of Randy Jackson and Walden. Heavy, groovy and to offer an alternative view, I could imagine this as a killer 2 minute mid-album mid-instrumental, as it’s the guitar groove that makes the song what it is – not the vocal or chorus as might normally be the case.

The album production decisions are again exposed by this track. Arnel’s vocal is really quite different than anything he’s offered previously. The vocal effects used make it sound as if the vocal was recorded using a loudspeaker in a baseball stadium. But seeing as his voice sounds great elsewhere within the album, one must deduct that the effects used on this vocal were an intended aspect of the song. It’s the guitars that rule this tune.

After Glow is another song that I instantly adored, with Deen Castronovo making his mark on this album with a lone lead vocal. He came back into the fold late and recorded this at the very end of the sessions for the album. This moody ballad reminds me of the If He Should Break Your Heart/Still She Cries combo from ‘Trial By Fire’. As the song builds it goes from a sultry ballad a rhythm and soul driven masterpiece. Walden’s drum parts are just exquisite, even if the mix does burry them somewhat. Neal’s ever increasingly urgent soloing is the stuff of legends. The soulful harmonies are icing on the cake and Walden continues to go to town in the background. The last 40 seconds are absolute melodic perfection.

I have to say that I’m having a love/hate relationship with Let It Rain. A very odd choice as a single to promote the album, it once again features Arnel’s vocals coming direct from under the grandstand speaker. The song itself is a slow, dark, heavy groover – the type of track your average Journey fan might feel is closer to the devil than the heavenly substance to which it refers. Precisely the last track that should have been considered as a masthead to promote the album, but again, Neal looks to mix things up. Listened to in the sequence of the album start to finish, it just works, mainly due to the resounding thump the song has. And it leads perfectly into the snappy rock n rhythm of the faster moving Holdin On.

Holdin On features some snappy drum work again and a big fat bass line, not to mention more magic from the groovemeister Neal Schon. Shredding over the top of a thick riff, this is 100% Neal’s song. Its also another piece of music I could envision as an instrumental. Arnel’s vocals are like nothing I’ve heard him sing and the effects used on them will again cause some fans to suffer strokes, or at least make them reach for the skip button. But I like it.

All Day And All Night is the end chapter in a trilogy of groove-laden hard rockers that sound more like Hardline or Neal’s ‘Piranha Blues’ than Journey. The swagger of this track has its own unique charm and Arnel again sings outside his usual stylistic restraint, with a better sound quality than the two previous tracks, making it my pick of the three.

At this point, the album desperately needs a big commercial rocker and Don’t Go delivers just that. Instantly catchy from the opening seconds through to the closing flurry of notes, this is classic Arnel fronted Journey and will appeal to fans of the commercial side of the band. A big chorus with swirling keyboards and harmony vocals is diametrically opposite to the trio of songs preceding it.

Needing to keep the commercial, more traditional Journey sound coming to counter-balance the darker groove-rockers, the album now delivers United We Stand, which moves the pace and style back closer to the opening number and gives a further taste of ‘Trial By Fire’ in the mood. I love Arnel’s vocal here and the bridge is pure AOR brilliance. The chorus is moody and layered with those soulful harmonies again – I can’t get enough of those. Keyboards hint back to a Separate Ways style. A big drum flurry over Neal’s wailing guitar closes out the track.

Life Rolls On starts softly, building through the keyboard/vocal intro, with some cool percussion in play. Cathedral like keyboards carry the song through the verse into a big guitar rip that turns the song on its head. Classic Schon here as the pace picks up through to conclusion.

It’s been a very unconventional, surprising album so far and to finish things off comes Beautiful As You Are, perhaps the most astounding track of the album. Just a raw, beautiful vocal from Arnel, accompanied by acoustic guitar and an orchestral fill to start things off, with Arnel really reaching those high notes before Neal rips into things with a big riff and Walden bursts to life with a busy-as-ever drum performance. The songs continues to build with those soul-harmonies delivering the bridge and chorus. Through the course of the song’s 7-minute run, things get crazy to the point that the last 90 seconds can only be described as completely bonkers. Love it!

Another great Journey record. A traditional Journey album? Perhaps not, but then what exactly is Journey’s “traditional” sound. The guys have delivered some truly diverse music over the years from album number one, to this, their fifteenth. You can’t pigeon hole this band from just two of those albums, as loved as they are. Journey are much more than ‘Escape’ and ‘Frontiers’ and this record proves it yet again.

I was a big fan of Rust N Rage’s last album – so much so I released it on my own label at the time. So I was eager to hear this, their third and probably most important outing.

Now on Frontiers - the label with the most bands on the planet, the band needed to up the ante to further their mission, but also to ensure they stood out from the pack of other Frontiers releases, where it is all too easy to get caught up in the mayhem and missed.

Thankfully the quality of this album should fend of both challenges, as the material here easily ups that of ‘Tales From The Wasteland’.

Bigger songs, bigger choruses, bigger guitars, bigger vocals, and most importantly, not only bigger, but better songs.

The pace is also quite fierce. The guys know how to rock and with this album should put themselves on the map with other Scandi hard rockers like H.E.A.T, Treat and US rockers like Dokken and Motley Crue.

A sleazy, glam-fused, hard rock tour de force!

For not much more than the price of a single CD, singer/songwriter John Waite is selling his brand-new release Wooden Heart – Acoustic Anthology Volume 3 as a triple CD set, featuring the new collection alongside both Volume 1 and 2 in the one package.

And what a joy it is to hear the great man’s voice in such uncluttered surroundings. John Waite’s music has always centred around his unique vocals and his personal, introspective lyrics. Whether delivered by a full band or with John and just an acoustic guitar, it’s always a pleasure to hear.

But on the Wooden Heart trilogy, which mixes up some classic covers as well as stripped back versions of past classics from The Baby’s and his solo years, John’s voice really takes centre stage.

Beautifully sung and emotive throughout, the at times haunting and at others uplifting recordings are perfectly captured and mixed and the voice just soars above the stripped back arrangements. Special mention to John’s musical partner Shane Fontayne, who again excels on guitar and bass on all tracks.

Each volume stands alone as a must have for Waite fans, but if you’ve only gone digital up until now, then grab this independent release as fast as you can at www.johnwaiteworldwide.com now!

Frontiers patented Random Band Generator has conjured up its latest offering – a more inspired and somewhat natural ensemble this time around. Nathan James – Vocals (Inglorious) Michael Sweet - Guitars, Vocals (Stryper and a dozen other projects); Joel Hoekstra – Guitars (Whitesnake); Marco Mendoza – Bass (everyone) and the great Snake himself Tommy Aldridge – Drums; plus of course, the illustrious writer, producer, mixer and keyboardist Alessandro Del Vecchio.

Quite a lineup there and given the brief to make a Whitesnake hard rock record, the guys have largely nailed that mission. Thankfully Nathan James gets to control the mike for most of the record and is given the best set of songs to sing here since the debut Inglorious record. Michael Sweet pops up on a couple of songs, but largely sticks to backing vocals and guitar.

While this is no Whitesnake clone, the influences and style are unmistakable. And the bigger than normal sounding production helps bring that big Snake sound to bare.

Credit for the production goes to Sweet & Alessandro, who also delivers some tasty Jon Lord inspired organ sounds to accompany his keyboards and Joel Hoekstra delivers some flashy riffing and soloing as you would expect from the current Whitesnake guitarist.

I often criticise the Frontiers productions drum sounds but having Tommy Aldridge on hand all but ensures a killer performance and the quality production gives him the impact needed.

11 tracks and nearly 50 minutes is about as packed as you could want an album like this to be. Any longer and it might have started to drag.

Good songs, big sound with a Euro-American commercial hard rock style that others have tried to emulate, but not half as well as these guys have. As egotistic as the name might be, it’s a very strong debut. I imagine there are already plans for a sequel.

Music is all about moods. If there has ever been a ‘mood’ album this is it. Yesterday I had no interest in listening to it at all. Today, with the car windows down, the temperature and the volume up, I couldn’t have been happier cranking this bad boy up.

For those that haven’t heard, Jack Chrome And The Darkness Waltz is the recording project moniker for Australian rock royalty Russell Morris and Rick Springfield – both a product of the Australian pop/rock scene of the late 60s.

Its rough, its gruff, its blues drenched dirty rock n roll, with a dark heart and even darker lyrics. Celebrating the festival ‘Day Of The Dead’, the album glorifies the ying and yang of life and death, with both artists represented equally over the 14 tracks.

Basically this is two EPs of the same style put together. Rick Springfield takes 7 tracks – all written and recorded by Rick on his own in LA – and by ‘on his own’ I mean ‘on his own’ – all vocals and instruments performed by Rick himself.

Russell and his band perform the other 7 tracks, with the sequencing moving back and forth between the two.

Style wise you get two very similar takes, which was obviously the point, but to break it down, Russell delivers his usual gruff, raspy bluesy vocals in the semi-acoustic driven blues rock style that his last 3 acclaimed solo albums have delivered.

For Rick, his half of the album takes the style of The Snake King another step (or two) further into the darkness. His vocals are rougher and raspier than ever for the occasion and the heaviest blues of his last solo album are even more pronounced here.

There is no doubting who either half of Jack Chrome is, but I can imagine many RS fans having a harder time appreciating this than Russell’s fan base.

Rick breaks into a more familiar melody on Death Drives A Cadillac and 50mg Of Hope, but for the most part, this is a solid, dark blues drenched rock record.

If one point is to be taken from this record – its that Springfield is one hell of a guitar player and can deliver a swaggering blues riff alongside the best of them.

The album may not be the style everyone on the commercial rock side of life might want, but its mixed and produced impeccably, it sounds a million bucks.

Singer James Durbin has been involved with several projects already that have recently come and gone (Quiet Riot, Durbin) and now his name has been thrown into the ‘Frontiers Random Band Generator’, throwing out the band Cleanbreak, again produced and arranged by in-house go to guy Alessandro Del Vecchio.

Do something often enough and you’ll get it right some of the time. For the projects like Skills that just haven’t worked, there are some that have. Iconic is one that has this year and now that’s joined by Cleanbreak.

I know how hard it is to keep up with all the projects and bands Frontiers throws at us, but Durbin teaming with Riot guitarist Mike Flyntz is his best collaboration yet. Not only do his vocals sound completely natural at last, but so do the songs he’s singing.

Needing employment while Michael Sweet is out doing his multiple projects, Stryper rhythm section Perry Richardson (Bass) and Robert Sweet (Drums) round off this project.

11 tracks, all rockers, no ballads might sound fairly intense, but there’s a good variety in pace and delivery here, so the album doesn’t get bogged down or repetitive.

Its just a good American sounding hard rock/melodic metal record with a strong lead vocalist, a great guitarist and a rhythm section that drives home the beat.

Legacy Swedish AOR act Alien deliver their seventh studio album here, the first to see them turn their traditional style on its head in an attempt to reach a new crowd.

So Alien have ‘gone metal’ here, albeit metal with a strong melodic edge and the unmistakable voice of Jim Jidhed reminding us of their true AOR origins.

I’ve seen some very mixed fan responses to this and my initial reaction was very negative. However, despite an absolutely horrendous production (yes, that issue again and a pretty consistent theme of the last 3 Alien albums), there are some great songs on here to enjoy.

I do think the guys are having a bet both ways, with the album split between the new hard rock sound and several lighter AOR songs that could have come from any previous album.

It’s a hard call – do you fully embrace a new sound with all the risks that entails, or do you try and do something different and mix in the old sound to try and keep old fans happy.

Hard to make a cohesive album with two different styles and I think that’s what holds this album back. Not to mention that Jim really struggles vocally on some of the heavier numbers, especially the painful to listen to What Are We Fighting For and Into The Future.

Of the ‘metal’ songs I really like the opening salvo of You Still Burn and Night Of Fire, the band don’t sound any better than they do on these two tracks.

On the other hand, ‘classic’ Alien can be heard with the more keyboard friendly Time Is Right, Freedom Wind and Fallin Way Down.

It’s a mixed album with mixed results and yes, mixed feelings. I think I’ll probably pick a few tunes here and there for separate playlists, but as a start to finish album, there’s something not quite right about ‘metal’ Alien and the production/mix is very muddy to say the least.

Proof that everything happens eventually, here’s a brand-new AC/DC album, designed to drop some rock n roll healing on a shitty year. Could this be the last ever new AC/DC studio album? Never bet against accadacca but given it has been 6 years since the last album, it’s entirely possible.

Having cranked the contents of ‘PWR/UP’ several times in quick succession, I wouldn’t say the band have delivered a career defining record befitting a grand exit, but they have exceeded expectations to deliver a very credible late-career record that I think will please most fans.

It is true that the guys could possibly have written this album in their sleep and there is no deviation from the style or delivery of the last several records, but there is something very comforting about new AC/DC tunes.

Twelve tracks at 41 minutes in length should give an accurate summary of the contents here. I am comfortable stating that the first 4 tracks are amongst their best in many a year. Realize is a superb opener, with Rejection, the single Shot In The Dark and Through The Mists Of Time all delivering great riffs and hooks.

Elsewhere it’s a pretty consistent run. Only track 8, Wild Reputation, drags significantly for me.

I do wonder how good this would have been with someone like Bob Rock or Kevin Shirley at the helm. The lack of urgency and a harder hitting sound is what I think it missing from latter day records.

Brian Johnson sounds as good as ever, which I’m really pleased about. He’s one of the good guys.

Aussie melodic rock legends Noiseworks are back with a reunion tour and a ‘new’ album that was recorded several years back but shelved for various reasons. Most notably the cancer battle of guitarist Stuart Fraser, which would eventually claim his life.

So this album and tour is a tribute to him – with Southern Sons’ Jack Jones filling in for the live dates.

The official fourth and likely final Noiseworks album is a mix of classic and modern, with the band reliving its trademark sound from the first two albums in places, but then also delving into the heavier, groovier feel of the lesser liked third album.

The mix works pretty well here, but the standout songs are clearly the ones that lean towards the classic/melodic side. The opener Heart & Soul is among the band’s best tracks – a great feel good anthem.

Amerika is another highlight – a song which is quite literally half classic (the chorus) and half modern and heavier (the verses).

Elsewhere the ballad Long Way delivers a nice sentiment, the decade old Sunshine sounds better today than it did when originally released as a single and Low is a modern moody rocker with a killer vocal from the always amazing Jon Stevens. One In A Million picks up the pace with another good hook before delving back into the album’s familiar mid-tempo groove on Let It Go.

Unfortunately the album is over too soon, and closes on a low note, as the acoustic ballad Ocean Girl isn’t as strong as the rest of the material and the 50 second Touch (Epitaph) isn’t long enough to go anywhere.

All in all, take 34 minutes minus the last two tracks, you get 28 minutes of high quality modern melodic rock, excellently produced and performed by some of Australia’s best musicians.

A great long EP, or a little short for an album.

To add to the conversation, the physical CD packaging is a disgrace – a thin cardboard gatefold with no booklet, no lyrics, little info and bad album cover art. Not much effort has been put into this aspect.